Selecting the right China web design agency ( for foreign companies )

08/05/2018

If you are a foreign company selecting the right China web design agency is like walking into the Congo barefoot. It looks big, diverse, but in reality hosts only a handful of good web agencies. You need a proper set of boots and the right map to avoid choosing the wrong web agency for your business.

Before you start looking

– Document your needs Do some research into building a website then write up a simple project brief or requirements document. This document should answer four key questions: What we do, what kind of site we need – examples, our current situation & goals of the site, target audience, budget, deadline. This document is required by any good web design agency – not only in China. It helps the web agency feel comfortable working with you, produce accurate quotes, accurate answers, and serves as a good benchmark for the web design build by setting expectations.

– Your expectations China web agencies are in the business of service just like in any other country. What level of services are you expecting? If you are a big company you are accustomed to the best services, better look where most international companies operate. Most of the big and good web agencies in China are found in its big cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen. If you have high expectations for modern websites then look in these cities. Are you expecting the best website in the world? For this budget can we expect a whole year of unlimited bug fixing? Or is it more or less build the site and end the contract? You will find the right agency if you set realistic expectations and have a clear idea of your website needs.

– Web Agency profile What kind of people do you prefer working with? Cultural background? Location of office? What language? If your a foreign company most likely you will opt to work with english speaking web agencies. Its much easier to solve project problems, less cultural barriers, if they have a Chinese team then its a plus. You need to have the right feel with the web agency as every project has its problems. How the web agency is able to communicate with you determines the outcome of the project. Do you see your teams going out for drinks to launch the project?

– Search destinations Where are you going to look for the right web design agency ultimately decides if they are the right one for you. In China there are a lot of web agency platforms where any coders or “web agencies” can join to bid on projects. But we are not looking for just any web design agency, we are looking for the right one. If your looking for a foreign own web agency based in China most likely are on english speaking directories in China such as Creativehunt.com These web agencies are also visible through Google search.

Interviewing for the right web agency

– Can the web agency read and understand your project requirements document? If they can’t speak your language then they are out. You will need to translate and spoon feed. Your time is valuable.
– Did they ask questions before sending you the quotation or did they just rush into it? A good web agency will spend more time thinking than doing. That said questions help avoid price adjustments and delays in delivery by discovering problems ahead of time.
– Have they sent a manager to meet you? Face to face is important in any line of business. The human touch cannot be replaced and ultimately all products are built for people, this includes websites.
– Are they willing to meet you weekly to discuss project progress or is it a limited number of meetings? Web agency projects can experience delays and project creep if regular updates are not put in check.
– Have you been hearing a lot of “yes” and almost no “no” from the web agency. Be careful of web agencies that claim to do everything and agree to everything. Most likely working with a yes to everything ends up in a web project failing.
– Was the web agency’s price and delivery date promised too good to be true? You get what you pay for. In a nation that is known for cheap its easy to get cheated. Good China web agencies are not cheap, in fact expect same rates and delivery times like developed countries.

Signs that you have found the right web design agency and have learned something from your adventured in the Congo

– The web agency is asking more meaningful questions than you; They will ask about your business, customers, industry, and even recommend better options.
– The web agency made you understand their quotation with examples; They provided a very detailed quote it wasn’t a one page sheet.
– The web agency spoke a ‘human’ language; They didn’t speak like nerds 100% of the time, I felt comfortable on our interview with the agency.
– The web agency demonstrated they understood my needs; They showed me examples of works matching our project.
– The web agency allowed me to contact their past customers; They didn’t hesitate to let me hear about their strengths and weaknesses from their past clients.
– The web agency was frank and upfront during and after interview; They were not afraid to say no to out of scope requests, no hidden clauses in their terms of service.
– The web agency was flexible about their contract; The agency was willing to modify certain aspects of their service contract and meet us half way.
– The web agency spoke our language; The agency clicked with us, they spoke about challenges and lessons from failures of other projects, the agency was able to connect the dots and not have us spoon feed them our needs
– The web agency has years of experience with the China market; The agency has a China team of foreigners and Chinese locals, they have a ICP and proper business license. They are able to issue legal China receipt ( fapiao ).

LORDEYS prefers to work with businesses that trust the strength of our works. Our works speaks volumes about our company.
Nine out of every ten clients we get is through word of mouth, on average we do end up building at least three generations of a client’s site. This is why are also delighted to provide you with the information needed to make a sensible decision about whether to partner with us. Having have said that, we also select clients who we work with as we understand our capabilities have limits.